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Salandra Firesong
Lady Salandra Firesong is a Quel'dorei priestess of the Sunwell and Sun Matriarch of House of Firesong. She governs the city Bal'adeni, the capital of Ashal'Thalas, and was groomed from a young age by her grandmother Sarenthia to lead House Firesong's powerful matriarchal lines. Salandra is conservative but also pragmatic, and with her frequent attendance at balls, galas, banquets and the such, is very much the voice of House Firesong in noble circles. Salandra was raised a civilian and is not a combatant, though during the Ghostlands Campaign Salandra worked closely with her sister in law, High Priestess Valeria Morninray, and at times a Kaldorei Elune Priestess, whom led a delegation of druids and shaman which aided with the restoration of small patches of lands in the ominous Ghostlands. Salandra is the primary Caretaker of Daughter-Heir Ysandre Firesong, though the seven year old motherless daughter of her brother Entilzha Firesong has begun her training in the arcane, and occupies less of Salandra's time than in recent years, allowing her to turn her attention back to strengthening House Firesong's position, namely focused on Suramar and the alliance with House of Devaux though with a keen eye on Thalassian politics and sending out feelers to various Houses. As a Quel'dorei, having spent the years without the Sunwell in the Hinterlands, Salandra does well to represent House Firesong in the neutral, horde-skeptical circles from which House Firesong may find allies, seeking alongside her brother to build the necessary effort for a second Ghostlands restoration effort, and a renewed focus on Quel'Thalas itself. A staunch advocate of traditional Thalassian Culture, which she leads by in her native Ashal'Thalas, often leading prayers with the Recovered Thalassian Prayerbook found by her brother. While capable of calling on the Light to heal the wounded, Salandra is not drawn to the role of a combat cleric, but instead believes her role is to utilize her relationship with the light to inspire and uplift others, serving as the beacon her mentor, Valeria Moringray-Firesong, was in life. As Sun Matriarch of House of Firesong, and primary caretaker to the family's daughter-heir and her niece, Ysandre Firesong, Salandra's days tend to be long and start early, having changed much from the life she knew, Salandra seeks to find balance and peace through a true sense of purpose and connection with the Light. She is not believed to leave Ashal'Thalas often. Having spent much of her life as a civilian noblewoman, Salandra has only within the past decade begun serious exploration of the Light, and seeks to do so via the traditional manner of the priesthood of Quel'Thalas, though pragmatically is beginning to accept such is likely not possible without her mentor Valeria and to reach her full potential, she will have to meld Quel'dorei Light traditions with those of other cultures. She's learned valuable lessons from an Elune priestess known as Keeper Essarae, and while Salandra will often Thalassianise many prayers and incantations from other cultures, as her understanding of the Light grows, so do the many faces it wears to many cultures become apparent. Salandra is a proud Quel'dorei, and seeks to emulate her closest friend and mentor Valeria, though her mind has grown increasingly more open to non-Quel'dorei Light-based practices. Salandra briefly studied under High Priest Vandellor's instructors in her younger days, yet feeling no immediate connection to the Light, her time was brief, as her grandmother and then Sun Matriarch, Sarenthia Firesong, governed Salandra quite harshly grooming the girl to be a "proper lady" with hopes a marriage alliance might elevate House Firesong back to the Convocation of Silvermoon, on which they last held a seat 200 years prior. Early Life Salandra was raised largely by her grandmother Sarenthia, as her mother was often off serving with the Farstriders. Sarenthia steered Salandra, whom shares her mothers sensitivities to the natural world, away from service as a ranger, her initial desire, raising the girl to be the face of House Firesong as her brother, Entilzha Firesong served honorably as a Magister of the Sunwell, Salandra expressed early interest in the priesthood as well, but was only permitted to study long enough to recite prayers and such on formal occasions, and did not connect with the Light until later in life. Passing on her shrewd diplomatic skills, Salandra grew into a firm woman whom got what she desired, much like her grandmother. As she grew into her role dealing with the other noble houses, notions of the Light or priesthood were set aside, for as Salandra aged, she began to see her grandmother's reasoning; her mother and brother both served with distinction among the Farstriders and magisters, and House Firesong required strong civilian leadership and alliances to regain their place on the Convocation. Salandra took to this cause with viligence, solidifying the vassalship of Houses Sunblossom and Lightglow to House Firesong, and negotiating terms with the powerful House Dawnstar. Ever occupied hosting banquets, private meetings, balls, and keeping her increasingly growing wardrobe up to date, Salandra always managed to find some time to spend in the lush woodlands of southern Quel'Thalas, the peaceful forest of eternal spring speaking to her, bring solace on even the most stressful of days. Salandra repudiated any marriage proposals as insufficient, though her keen and graceful negotiation skills as well as her capacity to oversee the day to day operations of the non-military aspects of House Firesong and their native Ashal'Thalas, the aging Sarenthia spoke of soon passing the Sun Crown to Salandra prior to the fall of Quel'Thalas. Safety Among the Highveil As war raged through Lordaeron, under pressure from her brother Entilzha, Salandra's father sent her on a "diplomatic mission" to the reclusive Highveil in the Hinterlands, which after the fall turned what she'd thought to be a two week visit into years of exile. Concerned deeply of what she'd heard of Quel'Thalas, though able to do nothing, with the Highveil growing even more reclusive, she settled in among them, and with much time on her hands often took long walks in the forests of the Hinterlands, which did not stir the same feelings as Quel'Thalas, though the embrace of nature warmed and inspired her. She was visited once briefly by her brother Entilzha, whom shared the news of their parents, and of demons and other horrible thing taking place back home. Upon hearing Ashal'Thalas had fared better than much of Quel'Thalas, it took a measure of convincing to persuade her to remain. Entilzha brought with him the red-gemmed Sun Crown, and crowned his sister Sun Matriarch of House Firesong before departing. With the crown meaning little as of yet, Salandra read much to pass the time, often turning to the collection of prayers and hymns she'd received in her youth, not attempting to channel the light but to feel its soothing embrace and to remind herself with or without the Sunwell, the Light endured. The Ghostlands Campaigns As House Firesong regathered its forces and set out to restore the Ghostlands proper, Salandra took on the Sun Crown and resumed her duties as the civilian leader of her House, though it wasn't long into the first campaign and the losses incurred for her to gain a restless sense she must do more. Her closest friend and eventually her brother's wife, Valeria Morningray, had been a full Priestess before the fall and the two spent much time together, Salandra growing increasingly inquisitive with regards to the Light, as she did of Elune, from their ally the Elune Priestess Essarae of Kalimdor Dawn, a small sect whom had agreed to aid the cleansing. Salandra recognized Elune and the Light as different but related, and incorporates a measure of Elunic thought into her philosophy, which she calls falori, seeking harmony between Moon and Sun. The two prayed often together, and with Valeria's encouragement and guidance, Salandra's faith in the light grew stronger, and she was able to aid with healing returning wounded, if her spells paled compared to Valeria's. Regardless, Salandra found solace in the Light, and in the memories it stirred of the priesthood under High Priest Vandellor and the Quel'Thalas that once was. During an ambush by Amani trolls in which Valeria was nearly mortally wounded, and none others able to heal present, in a panic, Entilzha sent for his sister. Having never faced combat before, and with it still raging around where Valeria lie, Salandra's nerves rattled like never before, but looking to Valeria's face, she saw the solace and mercy of the light, and with an incantation and thrust of her stave, called upon it as never before, radiance surrounding her as she directed the life-saving energies to Valeria's dying body, saving her from the brink of death. Sadly Valeria would pass soon after during the birth of her daughter Ysandre, and Salandra grieved alongside her brother, whom gave his sister all of Valeria's prayer books and tomes, along with some of her spellcasting regalia. There were many gaps in her knowledge, and without Valeria, what she could learn was limited, though she pressed on as best as she could, striving not only to reach the full potential with the Light, but to do so in traditional Quel'dorei fashion. Salandra took to training among the clergy of Quel'Danas in earnest upon Valeria's death, first as a way to honor her legacy, then feeling a true and genuine bond to the Sunwell, coming to serve as a conduit to its Holy energies, coming to deliver sermons, carry out weddings, and uplift the downtrodden. Though distincly a Quel'dorei Sunwell Priestess invigorated by the Light of the Sunwell, Elune holds a special place in Salandra's heart, and she will pray quietly to the godess, in keeping with her philosophy of balance. Current Activities Salandra re-focused on her role as effective Governess of the Firesong Capital, Bal'adeni, and on the care of her niece Ysandre Firesong after the Ghostlands Campaign and loss of Valeria. Entilzha spends time with Ysandre daily, though with Entilzha often on dangerous or sensitive duties, Salandra has been the central figure in Ysandre's care during the first seven years of her life. With Ysandre seven years old and beginning arcane lessons, Salandra has more time for other pursuits than she has since before the invasion, and is seen more frequently at balls and banquets, elegantly putting out feelers for possible allies to strengthen House Firesong's position and push for a sovereign, healed Quel'Thalas to be seen as paramount, and more practically, facilitating trade between Ashal'Thalas and other localities in Quel'Thalas and beyond. She's a staunch supporter of the alliance with House of Devaux, and the small Shal'dorei settlement of Belore'aran within Ashal'Thalas, working unusually closely beside her brother and mutual close friend and ally, Arcanist Morgane Devaux of the Court of Suramar, whom Entilzha helped evade capture and they have since together raised the Thera-dora, a militia comprised largely of Nightborne and Nightfallen refugees, given training in combat specializations including that of a Ranger, Spellfence, Battlemage or Combat Engineer among others depending on the individual elf. Salandra keeps herself busy between time with Ysandre, formal engagements, public appearances at the Daywell in the Sanctum of Elune, and her daily meditations, which quite her unique and uncharacteristically un-Thalassian view of Elune and the Light. Category:Characters Category:Priests Category:House of Firesong Category:Kingdom of Quel'Thalas Category:High Elf Category:Diocese of Quel'thalas Category:Quel'Thalas Peerage